Farnese Blue Diamond sells for $6.7 mn

May 18th, 2018

The Farnese Blue diamond, which was passed down through European royal families for 300 years, sold at auction in Geneva on Tuesday for 6.7 million Swiss francs ($6.7 million), beating auctioneers Sotheby’s estimate of 3.5-5.0 million, Reuters reported.

The 6.16 carat, dark grey-blue gem from the Golconda diamond mines of India was first given to Elisabeth Farnese, daughter of the Duke of Parma, in 1715 when she married Philip V of Spain, said the Reuters report.

It was passed down through more than seven generations and, as their descendants married into other European families, it traveled from Spain to France, Italy and Austria, the Reuters report said.